p. 3 What is “listening” all about. Speculate: what might this have to do with ethics?

Research. The Melbourne Mandates state that organizations have a responsibility to know how all stakeholders will be affected by an organization’s actions. They also need to know how the actions of the stakeholders will affect the organization. In order to do this, they should be constantly updating their research methods to match the client to ensure that optimum listening is taking place. This is ethical because it is taking into consideration more than just the organization. It is guaranteeing a mutually beneficial relationship between an organization and its public by making sure that all parties involved are benefitting. This also has to do with the two-way symmetrical communication model that was discussed earlier in class.

pp. 4-5 What is “responsibility,” and what does it have to do with ethics?

Responsibility is weighing the consequences of an organization’s actions on a societal, organizational, professional, and individual level. The mandate states that organizations have a societal responsibility to make sure that its practices are sustainable in their use of natural resources. They also need to maintain good communication practices with their employees and adapt a standard by which to measure accountability. They also need to communicate the needs of all stakeholders involved and to make sure that these needs are met in a responsible way. This is related to ethics because the practices maintain the beneficial relationship for all stakeholders. By stakeholders, they are not only meaning those who have profit shares in the company, they are meaning society members and others in the community that might be affected by the company’s actions. This can also include the environment and a community’s natural resources.

p. 2 & appendix: Discuss: what are the elements of “organizational character,” and what do those have to do with ethics?

The elements of organizational character are values, leadership, and culture, and at the very core of those three values lay the organization’s mission. The public relations practitioner’s role in this is to make sure that the organization is practicing the company’s core values. Their role in leadership is to communicate its mission, model, character and to inspire support. They also should make sure that the practices maintain cultural values. In order to do all of this the company needs to have an ethical and responsible mission. In order for a PR practitioner to maintain this, they should be conducting research among the publics to make sure that it is currently up-to-date with current cultural standards and values.

Advocacy, Honesty, Expertise, Integrity and Loyalty are the values voiced by the global alliance. These are very similar to the values voiced by the PRSA. The PRSA believes in Advocacy, Honesty, Expertise, and Loyalty. There are also other values that are in the PRSA that have been omitted by the Global Alliance. Independence and fairness are omitted. This does not necessarily mean that the Global Alliance does not believe in these, they are just not emphasized. It is interesting how integrity is not stated in the PRSA code of ethics, yet it is in the Global Alliance. They are placing more of an emphasis on professional responsibility.